WGC Match Play: Golf must make 'different' event work

Away from the majors and Ryder Cup, which is the most exciting day on the
golfing calendar?

Wednesday of this week would win many a vote. First-round day at the Accenture WGC Match Play is as compelling as it gets.

WGC Match Play 2014

Dates:
19-23 February

Location:
Marana, Arizona, U.S.

Courses:
The Golf Club, at Dove Mountain (Saguaro, Tortolita).

Tours:
PGA Tour, European Tour & Japan Golf Tour

Format:
Matchplay - 18 holes

Par:
72

Length:
7,791 yards (7,124 m)

Field:
64 players

Prize fund:
$9m (£5.4m)

There are 32 matches involving the 64 best players in the world. Results, shocks and surprises come at an exhilarating and relentless rate. At least that's how it should be, and often has been in recent years.

Yet this week feels rather second best with the absence of the world number one, as well as the reigning champions at the Open and Masters.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott have not made the journey to Dove Mountain near Tucson, Arizona. They won't be part of one of golf's potential showcase weeks.

For them the location, course, date and format simply don't fit, even when it's a $9m (£5.4m) tournament that offers a $1.5m (£896,000) jackpot for winning half-a-dozen 18-hole matches.

So three of the most charismatic figures in the game are replaced by Richard Sterne of South Africa, American Scott Piercy and Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

It's a sad indictment of the professional game that no-one has found a way to make the Match Play work. Aside from missing three of the world's top four this week, the event lacks a venue or sponsor going forward.

Woods, Mickelson and Scott have decent reasons for skipping the tournament. The forthcoming Florida swing provides excellent Masters preparation, and they want to remain fresh.

Dove Mountain is spectacular, but prone to bad weather. Last year it was hit by blizzards. It is remote and galleries are small; the atmosphere is patchy at best.

WGC Match Play winners

2013: Matt Kuchar

2012: Hunter Mahan

2011: Luke Donald

2010: Ian Poulter

2009: Geoff Ogilvy

2008: Tiger Woods

2007: Henrik Stenson

2006: Geoff Ogilvy

And half the field are packing their bags after only one day of competition - unless, of course, snow delays proceedings like 12 months ago.

This should be one of the great weeks of the season. Fans love to watch head-to-head golf while sponsors and TV want the biggest names to turn up and be around as long as possible.

Nothing seems to have been done to address these imperatives. There's no imagination over how to make the event work besides annoyingly splitting the draw into four brackets.

Overcomplicating the terminology by trying to make us refer to four top seeds is needless, but a relatively minor irritation.

More significantly, why can't the powers that be think laterally to make it a more attractive week?

How about 36 holes of strokeplay to determine the top 16, who then go head to head? Or run it simultaneously with a women's event, with TV showing both tournaments?

WGC Match Play replacements

Why not turn all the WGCs into matchplay events and create a series where points are awarded for progress? Then plate competitions for first-round losers could be run to allow them to add to their points tally rather than go home.

Television executives hate the final day, when they have just the championship match and a tepid third/fourth play-off to fill our screens, and this sort of thinking would help solve that problem and enhance the event.

These, though, are ideas unlikely to ever be adopted by the ultra-conservative world of professional golf.

As long as another sponsor is found, the tournament will simply muddle along. And if no-one comes up with the money, it will simply perish. We will get another week of 72-hole strokeplay instead.

It should be remembered the Match Play offers something different. It is time to think out of the box to not only keep, but enhance, this event's place in a crowded calendar.

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Comments

Hi Oldwoody, matchplay is the purest form of most sports. But one round of golf is like 1 set of tennis, a frame of snooker, half a football/rugby match in that it raises the element of luck relative to ability and skill. This is why in Golf individual matchplay tournaments lack relevance. If Federer had to win every set to win a tournament nobody would ever have heard of him.

Jonny thanks for the Betfred info. In the five Dove Mountain years, last year was the first without a European in the final. I'll have some of that 2/1 in the hope that it makes it more interesting to watch. BTW I think the Euros do well because this course favours scrambling and putting, which most of the Americans aren't quite as good at.

48. George Hobbs... I couldn't agree with you more! Ditch the dull British commentators... I always look forward to the American coverage. Gone is the jingoism and patronizing conservative remarks - replaced by fun stuff! Oh - Heaven help us that we should actually have some fun when watching golf... !!!

Tennis is matchplay...they seem to make it work, can golf not learn from tennis? I love matchplay and and getting progressively bored with stroke play - watching the same no-names plod round for a share of the top twenty and a fat cheque! Perhaps more matchplay might make some of them actually try to win!?If I were in charge there would be a matchplay as one of the majors!

The trouble with Matchplay is that the best players can lose in the early rounds & you have Kevin Sutherland v Scott McCarron. Having few games going on over the weekend is also a turn-off. Starting with 36 holes of stroke play is a good idea. but you may still have an unattractive weekend. The other problem is that the stars, who you need to make match play work, can pick & choose where they play

Matt, you're right but I think the tournament's return to England won't make much difference. Last year's Volvo semis were Aiken/Jaidee and McDowell/Grace. The event had just 16 starters and a round robin group phase, so I can't say the organisers didn't try things to make it attractive. It generated little interest though.

Has anyone already mentioned we have the return of the Volvo Matchplay coming back to England in October - being played at the London Club after the Ryder Cup and the Dunhill. Not a massive purse but a step in the right direction, British players said they wanted more events so now they need to show up

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